


On the Topic of Fortune

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Growth, First Meetings, Gen, Lorenzo's POV, Morally Ambiguous Lorenzo, Morally Ambiguous Magnus, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, SHtarot, Warlock Meetings, Week Four: The Wheel of Fortune, Young Lorenzo Rey, magical mishaps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23315578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: Lorenzo Rey and Magnus Bane hadn't stepped off on the right foot from the very beginning. They hadn't gotten along from the moment they met. Only, when they did finally meet again, Lorenzo seemed to be the only one that remembered they'd met before. He seemed to be the only one that remembered what Magnus had done to him.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Lorenzo Rey, background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30
Collections: Shadowhunters Tarot Challenge





	On the Topic of Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> The Wheel of Fortune, Week Four Prompt: "The Wheel of Fortune presents itself as the opportunity for change, luck (whether good or bad), and an invitation to break patterns. We are creatures of habit, and old habits die hard. We can willfully ignore the call that this card gives us, to end a habit that doesn’t serve, to take the offer of change, but the Wheel of Fortune will keep turning until it comes around again. Only the next time may not be as easy. The stakes will be higher. The consequences more dire.
> 
> The Wheel will continue to turn whether you want it to or not; that is for certain. However, you are in control of how you handle it. Will you break the cycle? Fortune favors the bold."
> 
> If you're wondering how many times I can write about Lorenzo and Magnus before I get bored the answer is a million times. I wanted to try and write about something more fantasy filled but... come on, how could I not see Lorenzo in this prompt.

Lorenzo Rey was not a man that came into change easily. Immortals often are, as is a trait of living through centuries, but change had just never come naturally to Lorenzo. He’d been born into nothing and when he finally dragged himself into a life that was somewhat content, he thought he’d like his life to stay like that forever. It was far better to never change than it was to lose everything you had. 

However, that’s not the way the world works. Life doesn’t stop just because you’d like it to. Change doesn’t quiver in the face of fear. Lorenzo’s life did change, even if he dragged his feet through it all. He met other warlocks. He made a friend or two along the way. He lost a couple and was reminded why he’d wanted to make none in the first place. 

He moved houses into something better, something that was certainly an upgrade and even there, he had to take a decade or two to adjudge to the new place and call it home. Home was scarier then simply a place he owned. Home meant something different, if it was taken from you.

He’d gotten better at magic along the way too, even though it didn’t seem to come to him as easily as it did for a lot of warlocks. Even his magic seemed hesitant to show itself, something that infuriated Lorenzo to no end. He was a warlock. If he was going to be good at anything, it had to be magic. 

Except, he wasn’t that good at it. Even when he did get better, he wasn’t that good at all. He could conjure things. He could summon demons. He could do all the things a warlock was supposed to… in theory. He could do them alone in his house. He could do them when there was no one there to impress or to disappoint but the moment there was an audience, Lorenzo was reminded that he was not good at this at all. 

Others seemed quick to remind him too. Warlocks, though accepting and defensive of their own, were cruel creatures behind closed doors, when there wasn’t a seraph blade flashing to remind them that they were all in this together. 

Generally, warlocks who were young enough to have not stopped aging were given a break but once you were more than a couple decades old, once you reached a century and you still fumbled to do basic magic, everyone stopped being so kind. 

Lorenzo wasn’t even sure if a lot of them realized it was something they did or if you had to be on the receiving end, like Lorenzo was, to notice it. It was glances most often. When you failed to do something you’d offered to do, they’d look at you with this look that made Lorenzo even more determined to offer to do it again, so he could show them he could. 

Except, he couldn’t. So, it would just happen again and Lorenzo would grow even more bitter. 

Then, there were comments. Warlocks were smug. Often it was enough for them to look at you, make it clear they could tell you couldn’t do it just to do it themselves and show off that they could but then, there were those that had to say something. 

Sometimes, it was hidden under a veil of being encouraging. “You’ll do it someday.” They’d say. “At your own pace, nothing wrong with that.” Then, there were others that didn’t even bother to hide it under encouragement. “Don’t bother if you can’t do it.” Someone had snapped one evening. “Practice at home.” He’d heard more than once.

Lorenzo didn’t bother to make warlock friends much after that. He didn’t bother to make many friends in general but still, sometimes you couldn’t just sit at home and pretend your life was perfect. Sometimes you had to go out and sometimes, you had to meet people like Magnus Bane. 

Lorenzo had heard of Magnus before he’d actually met him. Everyone had heard of Magnus. Magnus had just created the portal and it was all anyone wanted to talk about. It was groundbreaking. It was brilliant. Magnus was brilliant and suddenly, everyone wanted to share the time they’d met him. They wanted to talk about when they’d seen him once and what he’d said. 

Lorenzo had never met Magnus before that day but he’d been excited to do so, if he ever got the chance. He shouldn’t have been. He really shouldn’t have been. Now, Lorenzo guessed that Magnus was just having a bad day. He’d lamented about life before Alec and how his heart had been closed off- Lorenzo liked to assume that’s why he’d been in a particularly bad mood that morning. 

Though, he had never actually brought it up to Magnus to know. He didn’t think Magnus remembered it anymore and that was all as well. Lorenzo didn’t want Magnus to remember him as the weak warlock he’d been once nor did he want to remember Magnus as the cruel person he’d met him as. 

It had happened though and Lorenzo even now couldn’t completely forget. It had been at one of the first more political downworlder events that Lorenzo had ever attended. It had been about positions and territories, something boring, something that didn’t really matter that much to Lorenzo at the time. 

Apparently, Magnus had thought it was boring as well. He’d spent the majority of the actual meeting drowning himself in his glass, rolling his eyes and mocking anyone he could. Magnus’ presence was an annoyance to the warlocks who were actually trying to get something done but Lorenzo thought they were used to it. Still, someone had commented after, aside to Lorenzo, that Magnus had seemed to have an unusually large stick up his ass that day. I heard his girlfriend broke up with him, they’d whispered. 

Perhaps, Lorenzo should have taken that to mean it wasn’t a very good day to try and make his acquaintance. He hadn’t. He’d tried anyway, after the meeting had officially been adjourned and they’d all retired to mulling around, some following Magnus’ suit and getting a drink, some leaving as quickly as they could. 

Lorenzo did neither of those things. He’d gone right to Magnus. The moment Lorenzo introduced himself, it was another chance for him to realize that the cards were not in his favor that day but he hadn’t. He’d been so excited to meet him that he didn’t see anything else.

“I’m Lorenzo.” He’d announced to Magnus unprompted.

Magnus hadn’t responded right away and instead of reassessing, Lorenzo had kept speaking. “You’re Magnus.” He’d stated, like perhaps Magnus did not know. “You created the portal. Everyone is talking about you-” He’d continued, like Magnus really couldn’t have been aware of that. 

Lorenzo was sure Magnus was well aware everyone was talking about him. To Magnus’ defense, he grit his teeth and bore Lorenzo’s rambling. “It’s a pleasure.” Magnus had said, sounding as if he hardly meant it. “Though unfortunately, my glass is empty and that bottle over there is calling my name.”

Magnus had spun on his heel to cross the room to the alcohol but Lorenzo hadn’t taken the hint. For some reason, he’d thought it would be a really good opportunity to impress Magnus, like he would have even if it would have gone well. 

It hadn’t gone well. 

“Oh, let me get it!” Lorenzo had insisted. Magnus had paused, though Lorenzo thought it was more out of surprise than interest in Lorenzo actually assisting him. 

Now, Lorenzo wasn’t sure why he’d thought it would be a good idea to try and conjure the drink. It was something he could do fine at home but here, already nervous among these people he so desperately wanted to impress, among  _ Magnus-  _ It was a horrible idea to begin with. He’d known how unpredictable his magic could be and yet, he’d tried anyway. 

Theoretically, he had done what he’d set out to do. He had conjured the drink. He just… hadn’t conjured it quite into the glass, like he’d wanted. He’d conjured it and the dark liquid had appeared all over Magnus’ pale gray shirt. Which… in Lorenzo’s defense, was rather close to the glass he’d been aiming for. 

Instantly, a hush had fallen across the room. Anyone who’d been talking went dead silent and suddenly, Lorenzo found himself the center of the attention (something he’d wanted but not exactly like this). 

For a moment, Magnus didn’t react. They just stared at each other and then, Magnus seemed to realize exactly what had happened and he looked enraged all at once. Lorenzo didn’t quite remember what happened after that but he remembered enough. He remembered Magnus’ expression. He remembered Magnus snapping at him. He remembered leaving and as much as he wouldn’t admit it to anyone now, he remembered leaving with tears in his eyes. 

It infuriated him for years after. He was ashamed but with every encounter he had where someone lamented about  _ Magnus Bane _ and how  _ wonderful _ he was, Lorenzo’s shame grew into bitterness. With every single story Lorenzo heard about how selfless Magnus was, Lorenzo started to hate him more and more. 

Magnus Bane was not selfless. He was not the savior the downworld thought him to be. Magnus Bane was cruel and he was harsh and Lorenzo was sure if everyone saw the way Magnus really acted, they would change their minds about him quick. 

Magnus Bane created the portal. He stopped tragedies from happening and when everyone else fled, Magnus stood and defended the downworld but that didn’t mean that was all Magnus was. That didn’t mean Magnus Bane wasn’t the one who’d rushed into conflicts without thinking and pushed their world to the brink of tragedy. Just because he’d managed to fix it didn’t mean it wasn’t his fault to begin with.

Just because he had the power to stop it from happening, didn’t mean he wasn’t the careless reckless instigator of the conflict himself. Lorenzo had seen Magnus summon demons just to have them break free from his control and be hailed a savior when he managed to stop it. Lorenzo had seen Magnus arguing in meetings, fighting with the Clave when no one else seemed to want to and he’d also seen Magnus a breath later, murmuring with the shadowhunters he’d just declared to fight against. 

There were two sides of every coin and for every time Magnus managed to save someone, there was someone else who’d been crushed when he wasn’t looking- or when he stopped caring. 

No one seemed to pay close enough attention to notice but Lorenzo did. Lorenzo watched Magnus for years. He could have written a book on the man's accomplishments and the countless catastrophes that followed him but no one seemed to be willing to talk about the latter. 

It was just chance he’d been in the area when New York had been looking for a new High Warlock. He’d have heard eventually. He probably would have inquired too but by that point, it might have been too late. It felt like fate he’d been there and he’d heard right when it happened. It felt like it was nothing more than a divine intervention. 

Magnus did not know who he was. If he did, he only knew his name but Lorenzo was more than familiar with the man whose shoes he was stepping into. Part of Lorenzo had wondered if Magnus would recognize him when they saw each other face to face again. He wondered if it would suddenly hit him and he’d remember the first time they’d met. 

Magnus did not remember him. That was fine. Lorenzo remembered enough for the both of them but things changed quickly after that. Every week, things were different. Every week, something was happening. The ley lines. Magnus and him fighting. Magnus losing his magic. Magnus asking him for help. Lorenzo being turned into a reptile and then Edom. 

Edom was when things really changed. Lorenzo had a clear image of Magnus in his mind but Edom muddled things a bit. It was selfless to give yourself up thinking you’d never return just to save the world you were leaving. It was the kind of selfless Magnus’ recklessness had always made Lorenzo wish he was.

Then, Alec asked him for help. Alec asked him to go to Edom and help get Magnus back and Lorenzo had felt, even in that moment, that he was standing before a cross road in his life. It was a simple decision. He could help or he could not but it was more than that. 

Magnus had consumed so much of his energy for so long. Magnus had become this horrible thing in his mind and to help would be admitting that perhaps, Magnus was not perfect but he was not evil either. To help would be admitting that he himself was not perfect. To help would be to put aside everything Magnus did not know angered him and it would be moving into a future that Lorenzo did not know. 

Lorenzo didn’t know what would happen if he helped but he knew what would happen if he did not. He knew that Alec Lightwood would get Magnus back. He knew that he wouldn’t stop until he did and he knew that when Magnus was back, nothing at all would have changed. There would just be another stake between him and Magnus. There would be another thing between them, one that would be harder to get over than the others. 

Magnus had hurt him in both the far and recent past. Lorenzo would feel validated if he said no. Why  _ should _ he help him? But the next time he and Magnus fought, and Lorenzo knew there would be a next time, what would happen? The stakes would be higher. The consequences more dire. Magnus was more powerful than him. Lorenzo knew he was. 

Did he really want to keep this cycle going? Did he really want an enemy when a simple choice could grant him an ally instead? No, he didn’t. Lorenzo swallowed his pride. He reconciled the Magnus he’d first met and the one he knew now and he admitted to himself that neither of them were perfect. 

He helped. He went to Magnus’ wedding after and he found himself surprised that one choice had given him not only an ally but a friend as well. Magnus was a good friend. Magnus came when he needed help. Magnus called when he was frustrated with a spell and wanted advice, though Lorenzo didn’t think he had much advice to offer. 

Magnus even dragged him into the reckless behavior he’d scorned for so long. Lorenzo found himself centuries after they’d met portaling away from the Spiral Labyrinth with Magnus at his side, clutching whatever artifact it was Magnus had  _ insisted _ they were misusing. Lorenzo found himself snapping at the diplomats from Faerie, earning himself enemies of a whole kingdom. Lorenzo found himself causing catastrophes that he could have avoided if not for his recklessness and he found himself stopping them at the last second. 

Lorenzo found himself pondering that day that he helped Alec and even centuries later, he viewed that day as a turning point in his life. He’d had a choice that day and he’d chosen to let it go and see what the future brought him. 

What was it Magnus liked to say?  _ Fortune favors the bold.  _ Lorenzo had made a bold choice and fortune had certainly favored him. 


End file.
